Fire Control Tower No. 23

Fire Control Tower No. 23 is a former control tower in Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey built by the United States to spot Kriegsmarine U-boats and coordinate artillery fire on them. There were not many U-boats that headed near Cape May, as the water was too shallow for them to travel on, and it would be suicide to attack the artillery batteries. One of 15 control towers built in 1942 along the United States east coast, it was one of three that were preserved and the only one that hosted a museum.

History
Fire Control Tower No. 23 was built by White Construction of New York from June to September 1942 during World War II. White used a "sliding form" that allowed for a continuous pour of concrete to build a tower. It took only up to three days to build the shell of the tower, and finishers moved in and created the floors and details. The tower was completed by September 1942.



The tower's purpose was to detect U-boats that headed up and down the east coast of the United States during Operation Drumbeat, also called the "Second Happy Time" or the "American shooting season". The tower, along with Azimuth instruments, could triangulate the positions of Nazi Germany's U-boats or other Kriegsmarine ships in 30 seconds so that artillery at Battery 223 would be able to fire on the ships within the next 30 seconds. There were 15 other towers along New Jersey and Delaware's coastlines, all built for a similar purpose.

However, the artillery nearby would not fire any shells except for those fired during target practice, as U-boats did not venture into the shallow waters or artillery killzones off Cape May. However, German submarines did venture deeper into the ocean, as U-578 torpedoed destroyer USS Jacob Jones on 28 February 1942 (the first US Navy ship to be sunk after the Attack on Pearl Harbor), and U-869 was hit by its own circling torpedo and sunk off Belmar, New Jersey.

After the end of World War II, all but three towers were demolished. Fire Control Tower No. 23 was the only one to remain open to the public, and it currently serves as a museum. Manned by several local volunteers, the tower has a spiral staircase that allow for the public to ascend the tower safely (the soldiers used to climb up ladders to the top). On every floor, there are displays of World War II uniforms, informational placards, vintage World War II equipment (such as an Azimuth equipment), and plaques with the names and service years of several Cape May war veterans who fought in wars as far back as the Mexican Border War and as recent as the years after World War II. The Azimuth equipment on the top floor is trained on the wreck of SS Atlantus, a concrete ship that sunk in a storm on 8 June 1926, off the coast of Cape May.

In addition to the interior of the tower, the historical site is also home to a memorial to World War II veterans from Cape May County. An "Eternal Flame" honors veterans who have nobly carried forth the torch of defending the United States, and is located behind the tower. In addition, the one acre that the historical site belongs to is also home to several plants and brush that have grown recently, starting in the 1980s.

The tower commemorates several veterans of the United States military from the local area. Occasionally, families who own their own flags from relatives who have been killed in action will give their flag to be raised on the flagpole in front of the tower as tribute to their loved ones. On 15 August 2015, shortly after 4:00 PM, a US Navy Armed Guard veteran named Dick and a Pacific War veteran named Harvey both attended a memorial service on the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, where they shared their war stories.